It seems that a recent Windows Update (KB3086255, September 2015) that's been pushed through for 7 and 8/8.1 is causing problems when trying to run older games in the series. This is because the update disables the service for the secdrv.sys driver, due to potential security risks. The problem is, any disc-based games that utilise certain types of anti-piracy copy protection (eg SecuRom, SafeDisc) will no longer run, and will display an error asking the user to "Please login with administrator privileges and try again":

A list of problematic games has been posted here. The affected games relevant to our community are:

NBA Live 2004 (not listed there, but I can confirm that it suffers from the same issue)

NBA Live 2003

NBA Live 2001

NBA Live 2000

Fortunately, there are a couple of workarounds.

1. Run those games in a virtual machine, using Windows 98/2000/XP

If you've got an old disc for Windows 98, 2000, or XP lying around, you can use WMWare to set up a virtual machine. Generally speaking, this is a good way of getting older Windows based games to work, though it does require a bit of computer know-how (and a legal copy of Windows). I'd definitely recommend setting this up if you have the know-how (or have a friend/family member that does) and enjoy retro gaming.

2. Reactivate the secdrv.sys service

This one also requires a little know-how, but it's a lot quicker to do than setting up a virtual machine. If you're not that savvy with computers though, I'd recommend getting someone who is to do it for you. The steps are outlined here on Microsoft Support: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3086255

Use the sc config secdrv start= demand and sc config secdrv start= disabled commands, for an easy on/off toggle. To run an elevated command prompt, type CMD in the Search bar, right click the CMD program that it finds, and Run as administrator.

Note that there's also a potential security risk here (the update disabled the secdrv.sys driver for a reason, after all), so do this at your own risk! If you're unsure of how to run these commands yourself, try these batch files that automate the process. Please note that I take no responsibility for any damage that may be caused by using this method. If in doubt, look into setting up a virtual machine.

A note about cracks/No-CD patches

To pre-empt another suggestion that may be thrown out there: discussing cracks/No-CD patches is strictly against the rules in the NLSC Forum, and we won't provide any help or support for them. Please consider this fair warning of our zero tolerance policy regarding those discussions; barring the discovery of another legitimate workaround, the two solutions posted above are the only ones that may be discussed here.

Vista 32bit Around the time of this update Live 2000 suddenly would no longer start, and would upon summoning the game Windows would give the message " Nba live 2000 executable has stopped working ". I have recently tried the remedy referenced in this thread (with the system confirming execution), as well as the remedies involving the DEP nx (Data Execution Prevention, also an effect of Service Pack 2), neither worked. Re installed, installed to a different folder, software rendering, turned off MS Firewall, even deleted registry leftovers and reinstalled. Checked registry for any suspicious mentions of Nba live 2000- took care of them. Tried compatibility modes. ... Always the same message upon startup. The game doesn't attempt to load. Ive never gotten the message mentioned in this thread.

There has to be an explanation. Ive been playing Live 2000 since 01', and since 08' on this cpu. This is a new unscratched cd.

That's strange, 32 bit generally plays a bit nicer with the older games. If you're not getting the error message about administrator privileges then it might be a different issue, but the timing is certainly suspicious. Did you update anything else around about the same time, such as your video card's drivers?

Nothing. I just cross-checked the uppdate timeline with the date of my first issue and they coincide on 9-9-15. There were 12 security uppdates (I dont use the PC for browsing anyway) in all from Microsoft i hear on that date, and now im uninstalling them all to see what works.

I know there's some other workarounds with NBA Live 2000 in more recent versions of Windows, such as using one of the .dll files from NBA Live 2001's 3D data folder to properly use hardware rendering. If you haven't tried that yet, I could track down the file for you.

When you reinstalled, did you also delete (or at least temporarily move) any leftover database folders? There might be a corruption there that's causing a crash upon launch.

I believe you're talking about the dx6z fix. Certainly tried it. I did delete all files and even the registry leftover files during several reinstallations. One thing I find weird is that i'll delete everything, including the compatibility files, then upon reinstall, this new cd copy I purchased will install the compatibility files right back- something I believe didnt happen on my previous cd copy. Apparently giving the impression that the files aren't truly being deleted, or that the cd is somehow writing files to itself.

Literally no trace of the game to be found on the system, yet i'll reinstall and the compatibility files, including all game saves and dump files, etc, are right back in place.

That's the one. And yeah, that's even more peculiar, then. The game disc can't be written to, so if those files are showing up, it definitely sounds like they're not being deleted properly.

I'm not sure what else to suggest at the moment. I'm currently using VMWare with Windows 98, 2000, and XP virtual machines set up so that I can run the older games in the series (or in the case of NBA Live 95-97, DOSBox). If anything else comes to mind, I'll be sure to post it.